Olga Koch: Fat Tom Cruise

Olga Koch brings her new show Fat Tom Cruise to The Gaffe Comedy Club on Wednesday 4 November, starting at 7:30pm. It's directed by Jet Vevers and arrives in Bristol as part of a tour that kicked off with a residency at London's Soho Theatre back in February.

Koch describes Fat Tom Cruise as an immersive, genre-defying piece that combs through recent history. It doesn't stick to one format: she blends stand-up on stage with performance art staged in the privacy of her own home, so it's as much about the space she's working in as it is about the jokes. If you're used to a standard stand-up set, this is a bit of a departure.

There's a fair bit of background to catch up on here. Koch trained at the UCB Theatre in New York and at the Soho Theatre and the Free Association in London, and she runs Joy Multiplication, a monthly comedy night in London with fellow Soho Young Company comics. Her awards history runs back a few years: she was a 2017 Amused Moose National New Comic Award finalist, a 2016 Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year finalist, and a 2017 Funny Women Awards regional finalist. She was also selected for the BBC New Comedy Award in 2016 and 2017, and she's been nominated for comedy awards in both Melbourne and Edinburgh. Fat Tom Cruise is the latest show to come out of that run.

Tickets are £19.25, which includes the booking fee, and the show runs at 7:30pm on Wednesday 4 November at The Gaffe Comedy Club.